CEB, HUTV and the UC are coming together to present Harvard Thinks Big, an event which will highlight ten of Harvard’s most well known professors speaking for ten minutes about their favorite subjects. What does this mean for you? A night of watching some of the most charismatic professors Harvard has to offer and no essay, midterm or final to follow.

Other professors joining the team are Diana Eck, Allen Counter, Daniel Gilbert, Maria Tatar, Richard Wrangham, Timothy Patrick McCarthy, and Andrew Berry. Topics will surely range from issues in psychology and computer science to literature and even folklore and mythology.

Admission is free and only open to Harvard undergrads and the lectures are planned to start this Thursday at 8pm in Sanders Theatre.

Legally Blonde (2001) – Everyone’s favorite Harvard-centered movie (or just mine). We are all well versed in the story of Elle Woods and her unlikely acceptance to Harvard Law School through which she plans to win back her ex, Waner Huntington III.

Fun Fact 1: Reese Witherspoon spent two weeks spending time with and studying actual sorority girls for the project. She also attended law school for a day. Now that’s what I call dedication to a role.

Fun Fact 2: The final graduation scene was shot in the Great Hall of Dulwich College in London because it was not included in the original script. When it was added to the movie, Witherspoon was already filming “The Importance of Being Earnest” in England.

Fun Fact 3: Witherspoon got to keep every piece of clothing from the movie, as per her contract. That’s a whole lot of pink.

How High (2001) – Two bros get the help from the ghost of their smart friend whose ashes have been added to their pot. Great premise, huh? After he gives them the answers to the SATs they make it to Harvard and start to shake things up.

Fun Fact: The film’s scenes of Harvard are actually all shot at UCLA.

Good Will Hunting (1997) – Though not actually set at Harvard, we can probably all sympathize with the story of Will Hunting, and undiscovered genius who works as a janitor at MIT.

Fun Fact 1: If you didn’t already know, the windows of the Dunkin Donuts on Mass Ave are the setting for the “How do you like them apples?” scene of the movie.

Fun Fact 2: Robin Williams ad-libbed the last line of the movie, “That son of a bitch, he stole my line.”

Love Story (1970) – The last movie to ever be shot within Harvard’s campus. If you went to see this during Freshman Week, you already know everything you need to know about the movie.

Fun Fact 1: The hockey game was played by Dartmouth’s actual team at the time. Ned Harkness, the Cornell hockey coach at the time allowed Cornell jerseys to be worn in the film only if Cornell won the game against Harvard.

Fun Fact 2: It was the film debut of Harvard alum, Tommy Lee Jones ‘69.

Other movies that have been filmed at or near Harvard: The Town, The Social Network, The Great Debaters. Mmhmm.

Information gathered from IMDB.com

On Saturday night, I ventured out of Harvard Square with three friends to a place Harvard students would not journey to if it weren’t for the prospect of free theater required by one of our classes. Two subway lines and one hour later we arrived in what felt like the middle of nowhere, Massachusetts, otherwise known as Brookline. I’m sure in the light of day Brookline is just another respectable and well-to-do suburb of Boston. However, on a cold night when you are holding a small slip of directions that more or less ends with, “Follow the small hard-to-find path up to the looming school building on your right. ” you are more than willing to huddle closer to those with whom you came. Once you finally find the Old Lincoln School Building (which is the name of the venue on your ticket), Cambridge already feels very far away. But incase you are not entirely out of your comfort zone yet, you are ushered through a black corridor and are forced to navigate your way to the Manderlay Bar, a night club signaling the other influence of the production, Alfred Hitchcocks 1940 film Rebecca. There are servants to greet you, music, and other patrons waiting with drinks in hand for their turn to enter the “show” portion of the night. About twenty minutes later my group was called and we finally entered into the world we had come to see.

I cannot narrate the rest of my night from here on out because it would defeat the purpose of the show in many different ways. Once inside the school building, you are quickly separated from your group and the journey you chose for yourself afterwards is completely your own. That is both the genius and the most overwhelming aspect of Sleep No More. As an audience member we are forced to make choices at every turn. Do you follow that woman who you think is Lady Macbeth? What is going on in that room with all of that music and dancing? Are you missing something important in the hallway? Should you explore every room or should you follow that group of people running downstairs to the basement? You are constantly battling with what parts are worth seeing and how you will manage to see everything.

Sleep No More throws you into a complete sensory experience, including smell and taste (one room smelled so foul I could not stay inside for more than a few minutes and I witnessed an actor give an audience member a shot of whiskey for no apparent reason). Every room is filled with meaning and symbolism and every actor has a story that can be followed for the entire night. The performance is… strange and you will wander into more than one room in which you ask yourself something like, “Did I miss the part of Macbeth that had pounds of hair on the floor?” My first impression was that the entire production was a literary haunted house with symbolism that was always above my level of comprehension. At times I found this frustrating, but I soon realized that I wasn’t meant to understand everything around me.

As I made my way through the maze of rooms and storylines, I realized what intrigued me the most about the production was the relationship created between audience and actor. In a production that encourages you to do as you please, go where you want, touch everything, or even just sit down do nothing at all and observe, I felt a surprising amount of tension when it came to interaction with the actual actors. In most cases, the actors ignored the audience. The masked audience figures become simply part of their set that the performers must act around. I recall in one particular room watching with a large crowd a particularly graphic scene between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in her bedroom. I remember looking at all of the spectators and thinking to myself how it felt almost voyeuristic for us all to simply gape at the actors in the way we were. We were watching something secret between a husband and wife, something taboo. We were invisible to them and yet our presence was almost oppressive in the room. At one point Lady Macbeth went to her closet and looked out at us through a glass window. Suddenly she made eye contact with us and began to press her hands against the glass in an attempt to reach out to us in agony.  I saw in the reflection of the glass the many masked faces that she was looking out upon. It dawned upon me that we were no longer invisible to her, we were acting as the demons haunting her consciousness and watching her every move.

In a strikingly different situation, I wandered down to the basement at one point and entered into an empty room. I thought I was alone while I was inspecting the contents of the room until I turned a corner and found an actor sitting at a desk cleaning instruments. I stood there for a few minutes watching him, hoping he would do something. At one point he turned around as though he had heard a sound, but then went back to his cleaning. After a few minutes I realized how absurd I felt watching this man completely by myself when he clearly was not going to recognize my presence. I finally left wondering if he ever left that desk the whole night. I went back a little while later and he was gone.

The fact is, there are rules in Sleep No More, but one is never completely certain what they are. Just when you think you are not supposed to make eye contact with the actors, one of them will pull you into a closet and speak to you for five minutes (this did not happen to me… but I shamelessly wish it had). After a few hours of wandering around, I was walking up the stairs when one of the actors tapped me on the shoulder and gestured me to follow her. I was excited by the prospect and followed along with a large group of audience members. What I hadn’t realized was that she was leading us all to the exit since the show was over. “Already?” I thought, “ I was only just beginning to understand this thing!”. While one would need more than several viewings of the show to in effect “see everything” you can benefit from having come with friends. Once we navigated our ways out of the world of Sleep No More and back to Harvard Square, we found it necessary to get a meal together and discuss our nights. Each experience brought a new understanding to the production and further proved how this many-layered production is one that can yield many different interpretations… that is if you are daring enough to interpret it at all.

Sleep No More runs until January at the Old Lincoln School in Brookline Massachusetts. Don’t let the trip keep you from missing the most interesting theater experience you may ever see… and that is not an overstatement.

Now that we are coming to the end of the weekend and the feathers and glitter of Oktoberfest are behind us, there may be students looking for a productive way to spend their Columbus Day that doesn’t involve sleeping in all day or sitting in Lamont for hours on end. Instead, maybe use the day to explore the Cambridge and Boston area and do a few things you have never done before. Noice is here to give you a few ideas for what to do on your Columbus Day.

1. Columbus Day Yoga

That’s right, Om City Yoga has planned a special class just for the day off. Get out of your room a little earlier than usual and make your way down Mass Ave to cleanse your mind and stretch away your anxieties. The class begins at 11am and costs only $5.

2. Fall Open House at the Museum of Fine Arts

If you are feeling a little more adventurous, Monday could be the perfect chance to make the trip into Boston for the MFA’s annual Columbus Day open house. The event includes free admission and tours to all but that’s not all. From 10am- 4:45pm the museum will be hosting live performances, poetry readings, gallery talks and more. If you’ve never had a chance to visit the museum before, this could be your perfect opportunity. Plus… it’s FREE!

3. The Harvard Film Archive Presents and Evening with Ben Rivers

Maybe later on in the night you’ll still be in an artsy and academic mood. If so, Monday night the Film Archive will be hosting noted film-maker Ben Rivers in his first visit the Boston Area. The special event will highlight Rivers’ uniquely artistic style of film making and will focus on some of  his most well known films,  ”The Origin of Species” (2008), and “The Coming Race” (2005). The event will start at 7 and tickets will be available starting 45 min before for $12.

So, there you have it. A few ideas for the morning, noon and night of your Columbus Day. These free days don’t come around too often so don’t waste yours in the library or in bed. Try something new and make the most of the holiday!

But, what is designed as a respite for the weary, a regular oasis in the desert of academia, actually turns out to be very little. What, in fact, does Brain Break offer to those seeking reprieve from the mountains of work bearing down on them and sustenance to keep going on the climb?

On this lovely Sunday, what does Leverett offer to its denizens?

Tasty! Not.

Answer: Not much (that’s edible, anyway).

The spread:

• Chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with icing
• Eggo waffles with syrup, a daily offering here
• Bagels, breads, and other motley refined carbohydrates
• Butter, cream cheese, peanut butter, jelly, and all the other goopy mixings to make the carbs taste less bland
• Fountain soda and milk
• A small basket of fruit that never lasts past 8:30 p.m.

Grade: C-

Looking at Lev’s spread makes us wonder: Is brain break really a service to Harvard students?

We here at Noice don’t like to be negative Nancy’s, but we think it’s time brain break got a revamp. As much as we love our Marshmallow Mateys, they leave our stomachs growling after an hour and our eyelids drooping faster than a Gov textbook. We’re thinkin’ fresher and healthier foods and more options. HUDS promised to add more emphasis to brain break with the absence of hot breakfast, but these added efforts need to be re-directed, in our humble opinion, away from sugar and carbs.

Gruyere and thyme crackers, perhaps?

The cast comprised entirely of seniors, Christine Bendorf, Jordan Reddout, Matthew Bohrer, Adam Lathram, and Walter Klyce, sang through the intricate melodies with ease and even portrayed characters in a story made through the collection of songs. The show is great for musical theater lovers and even for newcomers who have never heard a word of Sondheim in their lives.

Putting it Together will be playing in the Loeb Experimental Theater Thursday, Friday and Saturday of this week and tickets can be reserved by e-mailing puttingittogether@gmail.com. Tickets are free!

Oh man. It's a night to remember for THIS lady.

Students in Diane Paulus and Marjorie Garber’s popular class titled Theater, Dream, Shakespeare got to have a little taste of the discotheque this past week. The class, which focuses on exactly what its title suggests, allows all students a free season pass to the A.R.T.’s Shakespeare Exploded festival. Sweet deal, right?

The first performance of the season students were able to attend was titled The Donkey Show. (And yes. It’s every bit of what you think it is. Well…okay, not really, but sort of.) The show is a disco adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Paulus (of Hair fame) herself, and is performed in Club Oberon — a disco-club-meets-theater-stage on 2 Arrow Street. In the spirit of audience-actor interaction, all students received “dancefloor tickets,” in which everyone got to boogie down with the actors of the show. After the show, the party continues into the night so everyone can break it down on the dancefloor (or on stage)!

Read on as Voice reporter Katie McNicol ’12 puts on her boogie shoes, gets down with glittery half-naked men, and loses herself in this dream-disco world which Paulus has created. Warning: Some semi-scandalous photos ahead — but you know you like it.

woke up this morning, covered in glitter, trying to remember what I loved so much about The Donkey Show. Was it the loud, pounding disco beats? The half-naked man fairies? The raining confetti, flashing lights, oh–and the full bar? Or maybe it was that, standing amidst the dancing people on the floor of Club Oberon, I realized just how right Diane Paulus had gotten it. I’ve seen many theatrical events in my life and after every one, I tend to walk out of the theater thinking to myself, “Those people get to do that for a living?” and “God, I wish I could be up there with them.” This summer, the only Broadway Musical I saw was Hair directed by Diane Paulus herself. My favorite and the most memorable part was at the very end of the show, after the curtain calls, the cast invited audience members onstage to dance. Of course my friends and I rushed onto the set and danced away looking out over the large standing crowd. For a few minutes we could pretend we were the long-haired, out of control, fun loving hippies on Broadway.

Complete with DJ, Oberon the clubmaster, and bouncer.

In The Donkey Show, Diane Paulus, the new artistic director of the A.R.T, took this feeling to a whole new level. Instead of getting to steal a few moments of show time, the audience members are as integral to show as any character or set piece. In effect, we were the set, a large mass of dancing people for the characters to act off of and play through. Not to mention the fact that the entire first half of the show is a disco party… for us to enjoy. But this is no cheap trick to get us in a good mood. Instead, I like to think that Paulus is immersing us into this “dream world” that is reminiscent of the source text of the show, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Throughout the disco, I began to see the brilliant comparison. After all, isn’t Midsummer really just that drunken night after which you wake up, can’t really remember anything and you ask your best friend, “Did that really happen last night?… Did I really do that?” One might even say they know the feeling of doing unmentionable things with someone that can only be referred to as an ass (in the donkey way at least).
The Donkey Show really isn’t about the plot, the characters, or the text (there isn’t a word of Shakespeare in it). It’s about losing yourself in a different world and forgetting about everything else. Until you do a few things you might regret the next morning, you haven’t really experienced the full extent of the show. Don’t let the disco fool you; the spirit of Shakespeare is alive and well at Club Oberon and I personally can’t wait to see what else Diane Paulus has up her sleeve.

Tickets for The Donkey Show are available for purchase until January. Friends and alcohol are highly recommended.

Katie's got a fever...for disco.

Hot glittery men! I mean, er, FAIRIES!